"Extremely dangerous" hurricane "Beryl" hits Jamaica
It is not only extremely early, but also "extremely dangerous": Hurricane "Beryl" causes anxiety and fear as it moves over the Caribbean. "May God lead and protect us all," says the Prime Minister of St. Lucia.
The "extremely dangerous" Hurricane "Beryl" has reached Jamaica. The hurricane's center brushed against some dozens of kilometers of Jamaica's southern coast in the late afternoon local time, according to the national weather service of the country. It is expected to move away from the island in the evening.
This is the first hurricane of the season and, according to experts, the earliest ever in the Atlantic to reach Category 4. Meteorologists have classified the storm, which can cover up to 215 miles per hour, as "extremely dangerous." Before that, "Beryl" had briefly reached the highest hurricane strength of 5.
Preparations for evacuations have been made on Jamaica, residents were securing their homes and bringing boats ashore. People were advised to stock up on food and water supplies and keep important documents ready, wrote Prime Minister Andrew Holness on Facebook. Hurricane warnings have also been issued for Grenada, Barbados, St. Vincent and the Grenadines, and Tobago. The US National Hurricane Center warns of extremely dangerous conditions with life-threatening winds and storm surges. Residents of the affected areas were advised not to leave their shelters.
"If this hurricane hits us as predicted (...), we will suffer many losses and damages, not only for individual families but also for the entire country," said Prime Minister Ralph Gonsalves of St. Vincent and the Grenadines in a speech to the nation on Sunday. "May God lead and protect us all," shared Prime Minister Philip Pierre of St. Lucia on Facebook and declared a national standstill.
Historical Hurricane
In less than 24 hours, "Beryl" developed from a tropical storm into a Category 4 hurricane with wind speeds of 215 kilometers per hour on Sunday. "Beryl is now the earliest Atlantic Category 4 hurricane on record, surpassing Hurricane Dennis, which became a Category 4 hurricane on July 8, 2005," wrote Hurricane and Storm Surge Expert Michael Lowry on Facebook. Hurricanes and tropical storms in the Atlantic and eastern Pacific are named every year according to alphabetical lists. The already powerful "Beryl" is therefore only the second storm of the season, which begins in the Atlantic on June 1 and in the Pacific on May 15. A hurricane is defined as having wind speeds of 74 miles per hour or higher, with the highest category - 5 - starting at 157 miles per hour.
According to the estimation of the US Weather Service, the hurricane season over the Atlantic could be unusually strong this year. Possible causes are the unusually high water temperatures in the Atlantic and the expected onset of "La Niña," a phase of cooler water in the Pacific. Tropical cyclones form over warm ocean water. The warming of the Earth increases the likelihood of strong storms. Storms lose their strength quickly over land due to the lack of a supply of warm, moist air masses.
According to current forecasts, "Beryl" should continue moving westward through the Caribbean Sea after leaving the Lesser Antilles behind. Mexican forecasts indicate that it may approach the eastern coast of the Yucatan Peninsula this Thursday, getting closer to the popular beach destinations of Cancun and Playa del Carmen.
The Prime Minister of Jamaica urged residents to utilize emergency shelters due to the approaching danger from Hurricane Beryl. Despite being the earliest Category 4 hurricane on record, Beryl was only the second storm of the international hurricane season. Following its departure from the Lesser Antilles, Hurricane Beryl was predicted to approach the eastern coast of Mexico, potentially impacting popular destinations like Cancun and Playa del Carmen.
